Department of Earth Sciences
Newton Horace Winchell School of Earth Sciences

Summer Internship Program

Our Department is seeking undergraduate science majors to participate in a 10 week NSF-sponsored summer research program designed around the theme of "Fluids in the Earth, from Surface to Core". Participants will work on individual research projects with individual faculty members and their research groups.
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Here is a list of possible faculty sponsors and research areas, with links to their web pages

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About the Program

The main goal of the program is to provide students with the opportunity to "learn by doing" and to gain scientific research as undergraduates.  Through this program, we hope to encourage students to pursue graduate studies and academic careers in the physical sciences.

The general theme of the internship program is "Fluids in the Earth from Surface to Core".  The concept of "fluids" is broadly defined to include water in its various forms, other  volatiles, silicate melts, and materials in the earth's core.  Research can involve field, analytical, experimental, or theoretical study of geological fluids, and will range from investigations of surface and near-surface fluid systems to deep Earth processes in the lower crust, mantle, and core.  In recent years, interns have conducted field research in British Columbia, Sweden, Montana, Washington (North Cascades), and Minnesota.

Interns in the program will work with individual faculty members and their research groups on currently active projects.  Research activities will vary from research group to research group, so we encourage applicants to contact potential advisors to find out more about possible projects.  In past years, some interns have continued their summer research project as senior theses at their own colleges/universities, and some have published their work as papers and/or conference abstracts.

The program offers three opportunities for interns to discusss their research projects. The first mid-program is for interns to briefly and orally describe their projects to other interns, giving them the chance to see the various research projects that are being conducted. Two end-of-program poster sessions give the interns opportunities to draw closure to their work and present the research to the department as a whole in one session and to the university as a whole in the other session. (See photos from a recent departmental poster session) 

During the summer, interns will go on several field trips.  In the past, interns have explored caves in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, gone on a research cruise on Lake Superior, collected fossils, examined 3 billion year old metamorphic rocks, and hiked on billion year old mid-continent rift lavas and intrusions.

LOGISTICS:

    The program is designed for a 10 week internship, generally from the beginning of June to mid August.  However, dates are somewhat flexible - individual schedules can be arranged to suit the student and faculty supervisor.  Internships of less than ten weeks may also be arranged. (Preferred start date for 2013 is June 3, with dorm move-in on the Sunday before).
  • Approximately $4700 will be provided for a 10 week program. In addition, funds are available to reimburse for travel to and from Minneapolis (up to approximately $400).
  • For students from outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, housing is provided. Interns will live in double rooms in University of Minnesota dormitories, and are responsible for their own meals.

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Previous Years' Internships

This program was started in 1998.  You can learn about the previous years' interns and in which projects they were involved (web site restructuring in progress, if you hit a dead link, please try back later):

1998 1999    
2000 2001 2002  
2003 2004 2005 2006
2007 2008 2009 2010
2011 2012    

Application and Eligibility

The program is open to undergraduate students majoring in the geosciences or related fields. The majority of students accepted into the program will be from outside the University of Minnesota. We encourage applications from underrepresented minority students from diverse backgrounds.  Freshmen will not be considered. Seniors are only eligible if they have at least one more semester of schooling after the program ends. Students must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. All application materials must be received by the deadline, February 8, 2013 .

The application must include the following items:

  • Application Form: UMN_intern_application.doc
  • Cover Letter should address your motivation; reason for choosing our UMN program; goals and expectations from our program. Also, note anything else that will help us understand you better.
  • One letter of recommendation from a professor who can vouch for your research experience and/or potential.
  • One original official undergraduate transcript(s).

Transcripts must be official and sent via postal mail to Ms. Kressler, all other application materials may be sent by email to Ms. Kressler. (see contact information below)

Notification of acceptance will be made in March through April. At that time, faculty members will contact successful applicants to discuss further details of the research projects.

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Contact Information

Should you have questions about an individual faculty member and his/her research, you may contact the faculty member directly.  The email addresses are listed on their individual web pages.

Send application materials, and direct questions about the program to:

Sharon Kressler
Re: Summer Internship Program
Department of Earth Sciences
310 Pillsbury Dr. S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

email:kress004@umn.edu

You may also contact the Program Director:

Dr. Katsumi Matsumoto
Re: Summer Internship Program
Department of Earth Sciences
310 Pillsbury Dr. S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

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